Page 69 of My Star-Crossed Summer

“I can’t believe we pulled this off,” Victoria says. “This looks even more amazing than I thought it would. The movies were such a great idea.”

Behind her, there’s a projector showing a reel Sophie put together of clips from a bunch of space-themed movies. There’s a little bit of everything, fromGuardians of the GalaxytoMars Attacks!to2001: A Space Odyssey. The clips play silently while my special dance playlist booms through the speakers in the corners of the room. This lobby is now a wonderland filled with twinkling lights, paper star lanterns, and sugar-fueled tweens. A small lounge just around the corner is set up as a chill-out room where the kids can go if they need a quiet space, with dim lights and no music.

So far, the kids are having a blast.

“Have you seen Roxy lately?” I ask Victoria.

She shakes her head, and in that instant I see the tension settle back into her shoulders. “Not since dinner,” she says.“She’s coming soon, though. Apparently, Mira’s super excited about the dance.”

“Come on guys,” Sophie says from behind us. She grabs each of our hands and pulls us to the center of the room where the kids are dancing. “Let’s see your moves!”

The kids cheer as we come closer, pulling us into their circle. David Bowie’s “Star Man” is blaring through the speakers, and Victoria laughs as Sophie takes her hand and twirls her around. Something tugs at my heart, and I realize that I desperately want to be the one holding Victoria’s hand and spinning her across the floor, under these brilliant twinkling star lights.

I’ve fallen so hard for her, all over again.

She looks so happy here, doing these goofy dance moves with the kids. I don’t have to look hard to see the moments when she gets out of her own head and lets herself relax and justbe. I want her to have that feeling all the time—to know that she’s perfect just as she is.

Song after song goes by, and we stay on the dance floor. The kids are all wiggling around like little excited electrons and soon Victoria and I get shoved right against each other. When we collide, her hands land on my chest, right below my collarbones. My hands go instinctively to her waist to steady her, and her eyes widen. An electric current zips along my skin and my mouth instantly goes dry.

She drops her hands as if she’s touched a hot stovetop. I know she’s worried about what Roxy and the other staff might see, and I hate that we have to keep this wall between us. I just want to hold her close and feel the softness of her skin and smell the sweet citrus scent of her.

We’re jostled again, and I’m regretting putting the frenetic “Intergalactic” on the playlist, but also I’m not. Because I’ll happily let Victoria collide into me any day of the week, as often as she likes.

When she spins back my way, I say, “I’m going to check the other room and make the rounds.”

“Oh!” she sputters. “I should?—”

“Stay,” I tell her. “They love having you out here with them.”

She takes another look around just as Layla and Priya appear, each grabbing one of her hands and pulling her into their circle. Victoria smiles, and already I miss having that particular smile directed at me.

Slipping out of the mass of dancing kiddos, I head across the room to the snack table and grab a cup of water before ducking into the chill-out room. A few kids were resting in here earlier, but now they’re back in the main room watching the movie clips and occasionally being pulled into dances. Out on the adjoining deck, two boys are pointing up at the sky, discussing the planetary alignment they learned about this week.

When I head back inside, Roxy walks up beside me.

“This is amazing,” she says. “Y’all have outdone yourselves.”

“We might have gone a little overboard with the decorations,” I reply. “But the kids dig it.”

She nods, watching the kids shift into another line dance. They’re mostly in sync, and it’s completely adorable. Victoria and Sophie are right there with them, Sophie leading the moves and Victoria laughing as she tries to keep up.

“How’s the session going?” Roxy asks me.

“Great,” I say, “Maybe the best one ever.” It’s hard not to stare at Vic as she wiggles her hips and waves her arms around her head. She’s the master of goofy dancing, and the kids love it.

I love it, too.

“How’s Victoria doing?” she asks. “She getting along okay?”

“We’re lucky to have her. The kids love her.”You love her, that voice inside me says.You always have.

Roxy nods, as if waiting for more.

“I mean, she had an adjustment period, like anyone would. But Vic’s great at this. She’s got this way of pulling everyone together without putting any pressure on them, you know? She doesn’t want anyone to feel left out, but she doesn’t want to make it a big deal, either.”

“She’s good at that.”

Victoria laughs, now apparently in a dance-off with Layla, whose sparkly galaxy dress is rippling around her as the kids clap and cheer.

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